Door handle and latch device

ABSTRACT

A combination door handle and latch device to be mounted to a door includes a handle portion removably connected to a latch portion and a spring which both maintains the handle portion to latch portion connection and produces a latching force.

United States Patent 1 1 1111 3,891,253 Revel] 1 June 24, 1975 1 DOOR HANDLE AND LATCH DEVICE 2,589.809 3/1952 Hodaly 292/352 2, 4 29 75 inventor: Alan E. Revell. Louisville. Ky. 783 O7 2/336 3 [73] Assignee: American Air Filter Company, Inc., FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Louisville Ky 97,804 1/1964 Denmark 292/3363 828497 1/1952 Germany [22] Filed: Sept. 26, 1974 1,196,517 11/1959 France 292/3363 [2]] Appl' 509665 Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam Assistant E.\'aminerVict0r N. Sakran [52] US. Cl. 292/59; 292/336.3; 292/348; Attorney, Agent, or FirmJon C. Winger; Charles G. 70/224 Lamb 3 [51] Int. Cl EOSb 3/00 [58] Field Of Search 292/57-61, 57 ABSTRACT 292/68 3363 352; 70/224 A combination door handle and latch device to be mounted to a door includes a handle portion remov- [561 References Cited ably connectedto a latch portion and a spring which UNITED STATES PATENTS both maintains the handle portion to latch portion 264.438 9/1882 Burrill 292/67 tion and produces a latching force. 1.887.655 11/1932 Marple 1 292/348 2.273.632 2/1942 Floraday 292/348 l0 Clalms, 5 Drawmg Flgures PATENTEUJUN 24 I915 w w a w. 1 3 a g u IN 1 VM: 7 4/ m a m w a (\x DOOR HANDLE AND LATCH DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to door handle and latch mechanisms and more particularly to door handle and latch mechanisms for use on thin doors in applications wherein the door is subject to vibratory forces.

Heretofore known door handle and latch devices are usually held together by clips or set screws. These prior art devices have generally proved to be inadequate because vibratory forces transmitted to the door handle and latch devices cause the clip or set screw to loosen. When the clip or set screw becomes loose enough the handle and latch disassemble and fall from the door allowing the door to open.

Because in industrial applications a door handle and latch device is generally considered a minor item, it must be inexpensive and straightforward to manufacture and install. Thus, any solution to the abovedescribed problem must be inexpensive as well as effective. Therefore, a need exists for an inexpensive easyto-install door handle and latch device which will not loosen and disassemble when mounted on a door which is subjected to vibratory forces.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a new, useful and novel door handle and latch device which will not loosen and disassemble when subjected to vibratory forces, which is easily assembled without the aid of tools and which is inexpensive to manufacture.

More particularly, the present invention provides a door handle and latch device comprising:

a. a latch portion having a stem adapted to be received through a hole in a door to be latched; an arm connected to one end of the stem, the arm projecting generally transversely outwardly of the stem; and a striker engaging means connected to the other end of the stem;

b. a handle portion having a resilient means retaining pocket open to one side of the handle portion; a latch stem receiving aperture open to the pocket; a latch arm clearance notch formed in a wall of the stem receiving aperture and open to the pocket; a latch arm engagement cavity formed in a wall of the stem receiving aperture; and an arm abutment shoulder separating the cavity from the pocket; and,

c. resilient means disposed in the pocket to urge the handle portion generally away from the latch portion causing the arm abutment shoulder to move into abutment with the stem arm interior the arm engagement cavity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A better understanding of the present invention will be had by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal view of a door handle and latch device of the present invention assembled on a door;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a handle portion of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the handle portion taken of FIG. 2 through the line 33;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the handle portion of FIG. 2; and,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view ofa latch portion of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown a combination door handle and latch device 10 removably attached to a thin door 12 closing an access opening 13 into, for example, an air duct 14. Air flowing through the duct 14, see arrow A, generates vibratory forces which are, of course, transmitted to the door handle 10 through the door 12. The door handle and latch device 10 of the present invention consists of a door handle portion 16, a latch portion 18 removably connected to the door handle portion 16, and resilient means, such as a compression coil spring 20, which maintains the handle portion 16 and latch portion 18 assembled even when subjected to vibratory forces.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 5, the latch portion 18 consists of a stem 22 having a latch arm 24 connected at, and extending generally transversely outwardly from one ofits ends, and a striker engaging means, such as a bar 26, connected to, and extending generally transversely to its other end.- Preferably, the stem 22, arm 24 and bar 26 are integrally formed, for example, by casting.

Now with reference to FIGS. 1-4, the door handle portion 16 comprises a hand grip 28 adapted to be grasped by a human hand to latch and unlatch the door 12. The door handle portion 16 includes a falnge 30 forming a generally cylindrical spring retaining pocket 31 open to one side, preferably the back receiving aperture 32 is formed in the hand portion 16 generally coaxial with and open to the spring retaining pocket 31 and also open to the other side, preferably the front side 33 of the handle portion. The stem receiving aperture 32 has a smaller diameter than the spring retaining pocket 31 and cooperates with the pocket 31 to form a spring abutment shoulder 34 in the pocket 31. An elongated arm receiving notch 36, open to the pocket 31 and front side 33, is longitudinally formed in the wall of the stem receiving aperture 32. A latch arm engaging cavity 38, circumferentially off-set from the arm receiving notch 36 by, for example, is formed in the wall of the stem receiving aperture 32. The arm engaging cavity 38 is open to the front side 33 of the handle portion, but is separated from the spring retaining pocket 31 by an inwardly extending flange 40 which forms an arm abutment shoulder 42 interior the cavity 38.

In practice, casting the handle portion 16 of aluminum has been found to be practical and inexpensive.

Referring once again to FIG. 1, the door handle and latch device 10 is assembled to the door 12 by inserting the stem 18 through an appropriate hole 43 in the door 12 from the back side 45 of the door such that the arm 24 extends from the outside surface 46 of the door 12 and the striker engaging bar 26 extends from the inside surface 45 of the door to engage a striker plate 47 attached to the duct structure adjacent the opening 13 to be closed by the door. An inexpensive striker plate 47 consists of an elongated slot 48 formed therein, the elongated slot 48 being of the same general shape and only slightly larger than the striker bar 26.

The compression coil spring is disposed over and generally coaxial with the stem 22 from the front side 46 of the door. Preferably, a washer 50 is disposed between the outside surface 46 of the door and the coil spring 20 so that the coil spring can more easily move relative to the door as it is compressed and expanded as the door handle is rotated to latch and unlatch the door. The door handle portion 16 is assembled to the latch portion 18 from the outside surface 46 of the door by inserting the stem 22 into the stem receiving aperture 32 and the arm 24 into the arm receiving notch 36 from the back side 29 of the handle portion. The handle portion is manually forced toward the door, thus, compressing the spring 20 until the arm 24 has traveled the entire length of the arm receiving notch 36 and extends from the front surface 33 of the handle portion. The handle portion 16 is then rotated relative to the latch portion 18 until the arm 24 registers with the opening to the cavity 38 at the front side 33 of the handle portion 16. The handle portion 16 is then released allowing the spring 20 to expand between the outer surface 46 of the door and the spring abutment shoulder 34 forcing the door handle portion 16 outwardly away from the outer surface of the door 12 causing the arm 24 to move into the arm engaging cavity 38 and causing the abutment shoulder 42 to come into contact with the arm 24. The arm 24 is thus caged in the cavity 38 so that the latch portion 18 will rotate with the handle portion 16.

In operation, to latch the door in a closed position, the striker engaging bar 26 is aligned with the slot 48 in the striker plate 46 by rotating the handle portion 16 toward the door, moving the handle portion toward the door and compressing the spring 20 between the outside surface 46 of the door 12 and the string abutment shoulder 34. Concurrently, the latch portion 18 moves with the handle portion 16 due to frictional contact between the stem 22 and stem receiving aperture 32, causing the striker engaging bar 26 to move away from the inside surface 45 of the door and through the slot 48 in the striker 47 to extend from the surface of the striker most remote from the door. The handle portion 16 is rotated, for example, 90 causing the striker bar 26 to turn with it due to the coaction between the arm 24 and the cavity 38, thus moving the striker engaging bar 26 out of registration or alignment with the slot 48 in the striker plate 47. The manual force is then released from the handle portion 16 allowing the compression spring 20 to expand between the outer surface 46 of the door and the spring abutment shoulder 34 moving the door handle portion 16 outwardly of the door and, due to the coaction of the arm 24 with the arm abutment shoulder 42, causing the latch portion 18, and more particularly, the striker bar 26 to move with it until the striker bar 26 tightly abuts the surface of the striker plate 47 most remote from the door, thus, latching the door in the closed position. The amount of latching force is dependent upon the modulus of elasticity of the coil spring 20 and, therefore, can be easily changed to suit a particular application merely by changing coil springs.

To unlatch the door, the handle portion 16 is rotated until the striker engaging bar 26 again registers with the slot 48 in the striker plate 47. When they are in registration the coil spring 20 expanding between the spring abutment shoulder 34 and the outside surface 46 of the door 12 causes the shoulder 42 to contact the arm 24 moving which causes the striker engaging arm 26 to move through the slot 48 toward the door, thus, unlatching the door.

The foregoing detailed description is given primarily for clearness of understanding and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, for modifica' tions will be obvious to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure and may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A combination door handle and latch device, comprising:

a. a latch portion comprising: a stem adapted to be received through a hole in a door to be latched; an arm connected to one end of said stem, said arm projecting generally transversely outwardly of said stem; and striker engaging means connected to the other end of said stem;

b. a handle portion comprising: a resilient means retaining pocket formed therein and one side of said handle portion; a latch stem receiving aperture formed therein and open to said pocket and cooperating therewith to form a resilient means abut- I ment shoulder; a latch arm clearance notch formed in a wall of said stem receiving aperture and open to said pocket; a latch arm engagement cavity formed in a wall of said stem receiving aperture; and an arm abutment shoulder separating said cavi'ty from said pocket; and,

c. resilient means disposed in said pocket between the door and said resilient means abutment shoulder to urge said handle portion generally away from said stem portion and cause said stem arm to move into said cavity and force said stem abutment shoulder against said stem arm.

2. The combination door handle and latch as defined in claim 1, wherein said a resilient means abutment shoulder is adjacent the opening of said stem receiving aperture to said pocket.

3. The combination door handle and latch as defined in claim 1, wherein said arm clearance notch is circumferentially displaced around the longitudinal axis of said stem receiving aperture from said arm retaining cavity.

4. The combination door handle and latch as defined in claim 3, wherein said circumferential displacement is approximately 5. The combination door handle and latch as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said latch stem receiving aperture is open to one side of said handle portion;

said latch arm clearance aperture is open to said one side of said handle portion; and,

said latch arm retaining cavity is open to said one side of said handle portion.

6. The combination door handle and latch as defined in claim 5, wherein said resilient means retaining pocket is defined by a flange extending outwardly from the other side of said handle portion.

7. The combination door handle and latch as defined in claim 1, wherein said resilient means retaining pocket is generally cylindrical in shape and is coaxially disposed with said latch stem receiving aperture.

8. The combination door handle and latch as defined in claim 1, wherein said resilient means is a coil spring.

fined in claim 1, wherein said coil spring is disposed between the front side of the door and said handle portion to urge handle portion outwardly away from the door and bias said stem arm into abutment with said arm abutment shoulder. 

1. A combination door handle and latch device, comprising: a. a latch portion comprising: a stem adapted to be received through a hole in a door to be latched; an arm connected to one end of said stem, said arm projecting generally transversely outwardly of said stem; and striker engaging means connected to the other end of said stem; b. a handle portion comprising: a resilient means retaining pocket formed therein and one side of said handle portion; a latch stem receiving aperture formed therein and open to said pocket and cooperating therewith to form a resilient means abutment shoulder; a latch arm clearance notch formed in a wall of said stem receiving aperture and open to said pocket; a latch arm engagement cavity formed in a wall of said stem receiving aperture; and an arm abutment shoulder separaTing said cavity from said pocket; and, c. resilient means disposed in said pocket between the door and said resilient means abutment shoulder to urge said handle portion generally away from said stem portion and cause said stem arm to move into said cavity and force said stem abutment shoulder against said stem arm.
 2. The combination door handle and latch as defined in claim 1, wherein said a resilient means abutment shoulder is adjacent the opening of said stem receiving aperture to said pocket.
 3. The combination door handle and latch as defined in claim 1, wherein said arm clearance notch is circumferentially displaced around the longitudinal axis of said stem receiving aperture from said arm retaining cavity.
 4. The combination door handle and latch as defined in claim 3, wherein said circumferential displacement is approximately 90*.
 5. The combination door handle and latch as defined in claim 1, wherein: said latch stem receiving aperture is open to one side of said handle portion; said latch arm clearance aperture is open to said one side of said handle portion; and, said latch arm retaining cavity is open to said one side of said handle portion.
 6. The combination door handle and latch as defined in claim 5, wherein said resilient means retaining pocket is defined by a flange extending outwardly from the other side of said handle portion.
 7. The combination door handle and latch as defined in claim 1, wherein said resilient means retaining pocket is generally cylindrical in shape and is coaxially disposed with said latch stem receiving aperture.
 8. The combination door handle and latch as defined in claim 1, wherein said resilient means is a coil spring.
 9. The combination door handle and latch as defined in claim 1, wherein said striker engaging means comprises a bar extending generally transversely from said stem, said bar being adapted to be received through a slot in a striker, and upon rotation of said latch portion, engage and disengage the striker.
 10. The combination door handle and latch as defined in claim 1, wherein said coil spring is disposed between the front side of the door and said handle portion to urge handle portion outwardly away from the door and bias said stem arm into abutment with said arm abutment shoulder. 